The Mentalist Articles

The Mentalist’s 100th episode goes back in time to crack the case of how Patrick Jane first teamed up with the CBI. “Jane is like a shadow of a person”, says Baker. “He’s not the three-piece-suited smartass you see later down the line.”

Think about it. We’re now five seasons into The Mentalist and we still don’t know all that much about Simon Baker’s title character—the sad, tormented, ultra-private Patrick Jane. What happened to him right after the murder of his wife and daughter by the mad slasher Red John? Is it true that he was in a mental hospital under suicide watch? And, if so, how did he ever get his act together to join the major crimes unit at the CBI? To celebrate the 100th episode of the CBS series, creator exec-producer Bruno Heller is flashing back—eight years to be exact—to cough up a few answers. Prepare for a very different Patrick Jane.

“We started out the series in the past, showing how Jane’s scheming and manipulation as fake psychic led directly to the loss of his family, then we jumped ahead to find him on the job with the CBI—now we’ll reveal what happened in the year in between,” says Heller....

SEE HOW JANE MET LISBON AND THE REST OF THE CBI TEAM FOR THE FIRST TIME, ON THE 100TH EPISODE OF “THE MENTALIST,” SUNDAY, OCT. 28
Gregory Itzin (“24”) Returns as CBI Director Virgil Minelli. Polly Walker (“Rome”) Returns as FBI Agent Alexa Schultz.

“Red Dawn” — See how Jane met Lisbon and the rest of the CBI team for the first time, on the 100th episode of THE MENTALIST, Sunday, Oct. 28 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Anything you can share about the 100th episode of The Mentalist? — Emma

ADAM: It's a bit of an origin story, creator Bruno Heller tells us. Viewers will get to see Jane's first days working with the CBI. That means seeing old faces again (welcome back, Gregory Itzin!), as well as seeing familiar characters in a new light. "It's a great chance to see Jane as he once was and the team as they were before he joined and what they all gave to each other," Heller says. But will anyone look a little different? "We've ordered five fat suits," Heller jokes.